“I Used What I Learned at The

8/14/2019 “I Used What I Learned at The

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/i-used-what-i-learned-at-the 1/7

Afterthe

“I used what I learned at the newspaper every day at the White House.

Most important was knowing when to keep quiet, when to talk, when to not take a picture.” —PAUL MORSE



He’s been to just about every country in the

world, flown on Air Force One countless

times, combating jetlag and grueling schedules

to photograph the everyday life of the

president of the United States of America.

From 2001 to 2007, Paul Morse served

as deputy director of photography at the

White House. He documented almost every

move then-President George W. Bush and

First Lady Laura Bush made, traversing 60

countries and nearly every continent, from

Africa to Mongolia to Vietnam to Eastern

Europe to South America—but not the polar

ice caps, he laughs. He captured moments of

strength, scenes of compassion, the

mundane daily rote of the political grind,

and evenings in the Oval Office with a

world-weary president going over the last

few documents of the day.

The experience was incomparable, but it

was a tough, demanding job. After six

years of service, Morse was ready to strike

out on his own. “I just wanted a regular life

back,” he says. “It was a big adjustment

’’I’ve always been a storyteller, trying to capture moments and emotions

between people and their environment. I took the same approach

at the White House, and I still apply that talent in all that I do.

134 • www.ppmag.com



coming out of there, because no matter

what, it’s still the White House and such an

amazing environment.”

He was used to the luxury of the well-

equipped support staff who facilitated his

job. Going freelance was initially like

stepping into a dark void. “Imagine running

through a finish line … and finding that it’s

the edge of a cliff,” says Morse. “Once you

stop, you’re just falling.”

There was also the connotation of stigma

attached to his subjects— politics. Though the

images were purely documentary, they couldelicit an emotional response some editors

couldn’t suppress. “It was kind of strange

going backwards, trying to deemphasize the

experience that you had,” he says. No longer

selling himself as Paul Morse, White House

photographer, he became just Paul Morse,

photographer. “I had all of these ideas of

what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know

exactly which one I really wanted,” he says.

Before the Washington gig, the Seattle

native had been living in Los Angeles. For

much of his 25 years there, Morse was a

photographer for the Los Angeles Times.

Every day brought exciting new faces and

locations, as Morse explored every aspect of

the city. Then one day out of the blue, a friend

called to ask for help covering the Bush

inauguration. The friend was White House

Director of Photography Eric Draper.

“I literally went only to help out a friend—I

had this great job in L.A.,” says Morse. “I cameout to D.C., worked for a few days, and was

taken aback by the whole experience.” Draper

offered Morse the position of deputy director.

After a moment’s deliberation, he accepted.

“This was a once in a lifetime oppor-

tunity,” says Morse. “I’d done everything I

wanted to do at the Times. I experienced

some great events, saw my name on the

front page, met some really amazing people

and discovered so much about the world.”

His instincts as a photojournalist would

prove necessary to keep pace with the Oval

Office. “I used what I learned at the

newspaper every day at the White House,”

136 • www.ppmag.com



says Morse. “Most important was knowing

when to keep quiet, when to talk, when to

not take a picture.”

As a freelancer, Morse finds those skills

just as important, whether he’s shooting a

wedding or an executive portrait. “I’ve

always considered myself a photojournalist

in the truest sense of the word, because I

tell stories through pictures,” he explains.

“I’ve always been a storyteller, trying to

capture moments and emotions between

people and their environment. I took the

same approach at the White House, and I

still apply that talent in all that I do.”

Morse is taking on a range of

assignments, from editorial to corporate to

weddings and portraits. For now, he plans to

stay in Washington, and capitalize on the



relationships he’s made there. Among his

first solo assignments were for the Clinton

Global Initiative, and numerous White

House friends and colleagues have engaged

him for weddings and portraits.

Weddings are a natural progression for

Morse. “I know how to handle myself in

what people consider high-pressure

situations. In the beginning, I felt a little

frantic trying to cover everything. But then I

started to recognize when the key moments

were going to be.”

Morse continues to travel light in terms

of equipment. He typically carries two

Canon EOS 5D Mark II cameras, a selection

of Canon prime lenses (35-, 50- and 85mm

are his favorites), and maybe a strobe,

though he prefers natural lighting.

“What’s great about weddings is that

there are no real barriers to my getting further

or closer to the subjects, so with a simplified

setup I can move around much easier. I roll

with things as they happen,” he says.

“Taking a risk to go out on your own is

always hard,” says Morse. “But I’m really happy

about the way things have turned out. There’s

always news going on and big events in D.C.,

and I’m glad to be connected with that.” I

Visit Paul Morse online at

paulmorsephotographs.com.

“Photographers in the White House”

Paul Morse, Scott Applewhite and Robert

McNeely share their experiences covering

past and present White House residents

Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W.

Bush at Imaging USA in Nashville, Jan. 10-12.

Sponsored by White House Custom Colour.

Go to imagingusa.org to learn more.

“I Used What I Learned at The

Documents

Transcript of “I Used What I Learned at The